Ukrzaliznytsia has reached agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, and the Kherson regional administration on creation of a service infrastructure at the Chonhar entry/exit checkpoint.

Ukrzaliznytsia announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.

The relevant Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation was signed on May 5. Its implementation is expected to enable citizens of Ukraine to comfortably cross the administrative border with the Crimea through the Chonhar entry/exit checkpoint, improve access to administrative services, and facilitate development of a modern transport hub near the checkpoint.

“The memorandum that was signed today contains a list of steps for transferring ownership of this facility to the state and turning it into a modern transport hub,” Ukrzaliznytsia’s acting Board Chairman Ivan Yurik said.

"In the future, if the ownership transfer is approved by the Cabinet of Ministers, the responsible state enterprise will develop the entry/exit checkpoint within the frameworks of individual civil-law transactions, together with the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories and the Socar company," Ukrzaliznytsia said.

The memorandum was signed by Ukrzaliznytsia’s acting Board Chairman Ivan Yurik, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksii Reznykov, Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Kryklyi, the Kherson region’s Governor Yurii Husev, and the Socar company’s representative Serhii Kolenchenko.

As reported, two entry/exit checkpoints on the administrative border with the Crimea began operation on November 15, when the first phase of their construction was completed. The second phase of construction involves creation of service zones: centers for provision of administrative services, bus stations, rest houses for drivers, utility lines (water supply, electricity, sewage, heating, communications, telecommunications, etc.). The construction of the Chonhar and Kalanchak checkpoints began in September.